Homepage > Space Resources

Board of Advisors

The SpaceResources.lu initiative is developed and implemented under the political responsibility of the Minister of the Economy, Lex Delles.

Advisory Board on Space Resources

The Space Resources Advisory Board comprises internationally renowned space experts to guide the Luxembourg government in positioning the country as a European hub in the exploration and utilisation of space resources.

  • Jean-Jacques Dordain

    Former Director General of the European Space Agency (ESA)
    Mr. Jean-Jacques Dordain was Director General of the European Space Agency (ESA) from 2003 to 2015. He had held various executive positions at ESA since he joined the agency in 1987. Previously he held different positions at ONERA, the French center for aerospace research. In 1977, Jean-Jacques was amongst the five first French astronaut candidates. He is also a member of various advisory boards in relationship with space research and activities.

  • Junichiro Kawaguchi

    Former Senior Fellow at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
    Dr. Kawaguchi initiated and led the Hayabusa project from the ‘90s, and in 2010, he served as project manager on the mission, which was first to successfully bring back samples from a near Earth asteroid. Dr. Kawaguchi graduated in 1978 from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Kyoto University. Five years later, he completed his doctorate in Aeronautics at the Graduate School of Engineering, the the University of Tokyo. Furthermore, Dr. Kawaguchi has been a professor at the University of Tokyo for decades. He is now a Professor at the Australian National University (ANU), Canberra, Australia..

  • Seung Jo Kim

    Former President of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI)
    Prof. Seung Jo Kim is Professor Emeritus of Seoul National University, from which he retired in 2015. He is also a fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics as well as of the Institute of Physics. He served as President of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) for three years from 2011 and, among other important projects, he led the successful launch of the first Korean space launch vehicle in 2013.

  • Jean-Louis Schiltz

    Guest Professor at the University of Luxembourg and former Cabinet minister in Luxembourg
    Mr. Jean-Louis Schiltz is a Guest Professor at the University of Luxembourg and an attorney in private practice. He also is a member of the Advisory Board of the Smart Sustainable Development Model of the International Telecommunications Union. From 2004 to 2009, Mr. Jean-Louis Schiltz was Cabinet minister in Luxembourg. His portfolios included media, telecommunications, technology (IT and internet), international development and defence.

  • Georges Schmit

    Special Envoy of the Government of Luxembourg, SpaceResources.lu
    Mr. Georges Schmit is Special Envoy Special Envoy of the Luxembourg Government for the SpaceResources.lu initiative. He was Consul General and Executive Director at the Luxembourg Trade & Investment Office in San Francisco from 2009 to 2016. Prior to this, he was Director General for Economic Development and Foreign Trade, and Secretary General at the Luxembourg Ministry of the Economy. In this capacity he served on the Board of Directors of the World’s largest steelmaker ArcelorMittal and the Luxembourg-based global satellite operator SES.

  • Étienne Schneider

    Former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Economy
    As from 2012 to 2020 under successive Luxembourg governments, Étienne Schneider was appointed Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of the Economy, Minister of Internal Security, Minister of Defence as well Minister of Health. During this time, he has actively contributed to the development of the Luxembourg space sector by launching in 2016 the SpaceResources.lu initiative. Since leaving government in February 2020, he is a member of the executive board of several multinational corporations as well as CEO and owner of Beta Aquarii SA.

  • Simon Pete Worden

    Chairman of the Breakthrough Prize Foundation and Executive Director of the foundation’s ‘Breakthrough Initiatives’
    Dr. Pete S. Worden is the Chairman of the Breakthrough Prize Foundation and Executive Director of the foundation’s ‘Breakthrough Initiatives’. He was Director of NASA’s Ames Research Center in California until his retirement in 2015. He served as a scientific co-investigator for three NASA space science missions. Dr. Worden has held several positions in the United States Air Force and was research professor of astronomy at the University of Arizona, Tucson, USA. He has authored or co-authored more than 150 scientific papers in astrophysics space sciences, and strategic studies.

  • Wu Ji

    Former chief scientist and project leader of the Strategic Priority Program on Space Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences
    Prof. Wu Ji was chief scientist and project leader of the Strategic Priority Program on Space Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, where he used to be a full Professor. In 2016, he was elected President of the Chinese Society on Space Research. Prof. Wu Ji was also Director General of the National Space Science Center, Vice-President of the Committee for Space Research and a full member of the International Astronautics Academy.

Last update